Cleaning your closet doesn’t have to feel like a chore! We’ll show you how to turn that dark, disorganized cave into your personal boutique. Here’s what you need to do:

Get messy. Make sure you clean your room first, or you’ll end up with a huge mess. Next, take out everything (yes, everything!) you’ve stuffed in your closet over the years—including that old Teletubbies T-shirt!

Get a game plan. Before you just pile things back into your closet, take a time-out to decide where it will go. Make three piles: Keep, Trash and Donate. Keep what you love, throw away anything that’s damaged and donate anything that you don’t wear.

Get crafty. You don’t have to shell out major bucks to get organized. There are shelves and boxes for every budget. Adjustable shelves and racks allow you to have control over the size of your closet. Are you a shoe lover? Treat yourself to an over-the-door shoe rack. You can also use see-through bins to store easy-to-lose accessories, like belts, scarves and gloves.

Get to grouping. Think of your clothes as cliques. Dresses hang with dresses; pants cling with other pants; and shirts never, ever hang out with skirts. Get the idea? If you want to go the extra mile, coordinate the colors, too. Just follow the rainbow!

Get into the habit. Keeping your closet clean is probably a bigger commitment than getting it clean in the first place. At the end of the day, put your clothes back where they belong. You’ll need to make an effort for a few weeks, but after that, you’ll be on auto-pilot tidyin’ up your space.